Elizabeth Wurtzel: All Grown Up Now

When we previously wrote about author-turned-lawyer Elizabeth Wurtzel, whom we honored as a Summer Associate of the Day, you had some strong reactions. Now Ms. Wurtzel, a Yale Law School student who summered at WilmerHale, is in the news once again. We expect no shortage of reader opinions.
Wurtzel is the subject of a generally flattering profile in the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times. It’s quite interesting; read it in full here. This struck us as the money quote (quite literally):

Although Ms. Wurtzel received a $500,000 advance for her second book, “Bitch” (and half of that for “More, Now, Again”), she took out loans to pay for her education. Yale’s law school tuition this year is $43,750.

“I’m badly in debt,” she said. “It’s got to be in the six figures.” Ms. Wurtzel has until Nov. 15 to take up WilmerHale’s job offer. She also has an essay collection in the works but no publisher yet.

We realize cocaine is expensive, but we still don’t understand how authors can blow (haha) through six-figure advances so quickly. What next? Will Jessica Cutler, who recently declared bankruptcy, matriculate at Harvard Law School?
Discussion resumes after the jump.


If the former Washingtonienne heads up to Cambridge, will there be a similar debate about the propriety of her admission? With respect to Elizabeth Wurtzel, Adam Bonin opines:

[W]ith a 160 on the LSATs, Wurtzel was much better suited for Northeastern than Northwestern, let alone YLS, which raises serious questions as to their admissions standards. And, more importantly, can she pass the character and fitness portion of the Bar, what with the being fired from the Dallas Morning News for plagiarism and then the going on book tour and having her friends FedEx her cocaine while on book tour (and using her publisher’s shipping number).

But see Ann Althouse:

I mean, really, the LSAT is not the only factor. Yale gets all the high LSATs. High LSATs should mean nothing to them. Get some interesting people. Why should Yale care if they’ll fit in law firms or have problems passing character requirements for the bar? The key is to get something interesting going in the classroom. Yale had every reason to think Wurtzel would spice up the mix.

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We’re inclined to agree with Professor Althouse, since we’re big on giving people second chances. We love comeback stories and redemption arcs.
But that’s just us. What do you think?
Coming Soon: ‘Law School Nation’? [New York Times]
“Let’s talk about the fact that with a 160 on the LSATs, Wurtzel was much better suited for Northeastern than Northwestern, let alone YLS….” [Althouse]
How Can We Overcome Everything We Know About You and Come To Hire You? [A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago]
Earlier: Summer Associate of the Day: Elizabeth Wurtzel

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